A COMPLETE UNKNOWN - film

The Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet as the man himself is finally here! And it’s … MEH.

Is it terrible? No. Is it great? Also no.

Chalamet is excellent but here’s the thing… and I’m sorry but look away now Dylan fans … if this film is anything to go by, Bob Dylan’s life story is a bit dull. OK no, that’s too much, but it’s just pretty darn predictable.

Prodigious talent gets discovered and then a) wants to change creative direction and must fight against his corporate overloads to do so … check. b) becomes a bit of a cad with the ladies … check. c) lets his ego get out of control and becomes a bit of a jerk… check. So far so expected.

The effort gone into making this biopic could have been directed to someone with a more surprising and intriguing story if you ask me. I’m sorry, I don’t make the ‘cut to the chase’ rules where I have to tell you the truth like this! Wait … what?!

A Complete Unknown runs for 141 minutes, is rated M and opens in cinemas on 23 January.

EMILIA PEREZ - film

I went into Emilia Perez knowing literally nothing other than that it’s an awards-contender, including not knowing it won Best Picture - Comedy/Musical at the recent Golden Globes or that it’s a musical.

It’s one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen, I think. I really loved it! And I’d actually recommend going in knowing nothing so I’m going to keep this brief. (Cut to the chase! It’s how we roll!)

If you like a musical - I know they’re not for everyone - get yourself to a session of Emilia Perez. It’s quite something!

Emilia Perez runs 132 minutes, is rated MA15+ and is in cinemas now.

THE BRUTALIST - film

Look I’m sorry to be a basic you-know-what but I just think, if your film is THREE HOURS AND THIRTY FIVE MINUTES long you have done something wrong. (Did somebody say ‘four part Netflix doco’? I sure wish they had.)

Escaping postwar Europe in 1947, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) moves to Pennsylvania USA to rebuild his life and career. There, wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognises his talent and hires Toth to work on cutting edge projects. Van Buren’s support, like his psyche, is … complex.

This film won Best Motion Picture - Drama at the recent Golden Globe awards which supports my theory that Hollywood rewards pretentious film-making. The film has so many threads to unravel - you don’t get to 3.5+ hours for nuthin’ - that it’s just all a bit much for me. I can’t in good conscience recommend you spend $25 of your hard-earned to see this, even if it stars Guy Pearce who I love enormously. (Mike Young forever! IYKYK!)

Are there great things about this film? Sure. But at this time of year when there’s so many excellent films out I just can’t get behind The Brutalist.

PADDINGTON IN PERU - film

Paddington in Peru is the third Paddington film following two really fabulous outings in 2017 and 2014. This one doesn’t quite live up to the joy of the first two for me but it’s still totally charming and enjoyable.

I’ve been pondering what about this one in Peru doesn’t equal the pleasure of the first two and I think it particularly suffers in comparison to the 2017 one starring Hugh Grant as a brilliant villain. (How did he not win awards for that!?) We have two foes for Paddington in Peru, who I won’t identify lest it spoil the plot for you! One is excellent but the other has less charm than Hugh Grant unfortunately.

Paddington sets off to Peru with the Brown family, with whom he lives in London, to visit and find his aunt Lucy. They get some dodgy advice and ‘help’ and it makes for a fun adventure.

I’d recommend this, it is definitely an enjoyable film for kids and adults alike, but just temper your expectations a smidge if you loved the first and/or second Paddington films.

Paddington in Peru is rated PG, runs 106 minutes and is in cinemas now.

ANORA - film

Anora is so great!

It’s about an exotic dancer and occasional sex worker - Anora (or Ani) - who starts a relationship with her client Vanya, the son of a crazy wealthy Russian oligarch. Ani, played by Mikey Madison who is superb, is as tough as old boots and has a hell of a fire burning in her belly. There’s a lot of yelling in this film! Vanya does his share of yelling too and I imagine viewers of a certain (ahem) age, like me, will see a decent dose of Screech from Saved by the Bell in the actor who plays him, Mark Eidelstein.

When Vanya’s parents in Russia find out about the rushed Vegas wedding to “a whore” they react very badly and chaos ensues. Whilst I wouldn’t call this truly a comedy it is very funny at times, including when the Russian family’s local ‘agents’ who are meant to be supervising Vanya enact their wishes to have the marriage annuled whilst they make their way to New York.

Anora won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival which is the prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film at the festival. High praise! It’s also nominated for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) at the Golden Globes so it’s got a lot of fans and is well worth your time!

Anora is rated MA15+, runs for 139 minutes (long but doesn’t feel it) and is in cinemas now.

BETTER MAN - film

A movie about Robbie Williams where they cast him as a CGI chimpanzee, you say? Hmmmm. Intriguing.

Before seeing Better Man I’d seen the trailer a number of times and always wondered, why on earth have they made him a chimpanzee?! What a bizarre thing to do! Getting an explanation for that was what actually got me to see the film I think, more so than a desire to see Robbie Williams’ life story which I felt more across than I’d ever need to be thanks to the Netflix doco about his life released in late 2023.

In light of all that I’m disappointed to say that there is never an explanation for this bizarre creative choice in Better Man. Subsequently I have googled it and found interviews in which the director explains the choice so my curiosity is satisfied but the truth is, I spent this whole film which is otherwise very good being completely distracted by why Robbie was a flippin’ chimpanzee!

One of the joys of this film is remembering what a bunch of complete BANGERS Robbie Williams is responsible for. Unlike some other quite bleak films that are released during awards season, this film actually IS a toe-tapping good time! A baffling good time but a good time nonetheless.

Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Australian actor Damon Herriman and I’m delighted to say he features in this with some flawless accent work as agent/manager Nigel Martin Smith, alongside other talents like Kate Mulvaney and Alison Steadman as Robbie’s mother and grandmother respectively.

All in all, I did enjoy Better Man but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had Robbie been cast as a human. Call me crazy! And/or boring!

Better Man runs 135 minutes, is rated MA15+ and opens on 26 December.

CONCLAVE - film

When it comes to Conclave, think Succession meets House of Cards meets Borgen but where the players are fighting to be Pope. I make the comparison because you don’t have to be religious to be engaged in the power struggle as a viewer so don’t write it off thinking it’s strictly Catholic business.

That said, for me Conclave didn’t live up to the trailer which made the film seem gripping. It isn’t the first film to suffer that fate and it sure won’t be the last but I was a bit disappointed. It’s not a bad film - it’s nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes - but I was never on the edge of my seat, intrigued to see what happened next. There were twists and turns along the way but none were truly shocking until the one right at the end which felt so unlikely that it just left me thinking, ‘really?!’. No spoilers here!

Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow play some of the men in line for the top job and all are, predictably, excellent. Isabella Rossellini has a relatively small but significant role as a nun on the edges of this unique Catholic process and she too delivers a great performance

I know two others who have seen this - both church-going Catholics - and one felt about the same as me and the other really liked it. On balance, I’d say this falls into ‘can wait for it to pop up on a streaming service’ for me. Good but not quite as good as I hoped or the trailer implied.

Conclave runs 120 minutes, opens 9 January 2025 and is rated PG. Trailer here.

MUFASA: The Lion King - film

Didn’t hate it but didn’t love it. I’m sad to say the new instalment from The Lion King world is a bit meh.

The CGI is incredible, almost to the point of being distracting! It’s genuinely spectacular. But sadly that can’t save the film from itself. The story is overwrought, the film too long, the cast lacks heavy-hitters and the songs not strong enough which is remarkable really given the music is by Lin Manuel Miranda of ‘Hamilton’ fame. I did love that Billy Eichner voiced Timon though - I rate that guy, he’s hilarious!

Did we (me + three kids in years 8, 7 and grade 5) have a good time? Sure. Did we love it and leave thinking, we should tell all our friends to see that? Nup. I’d recommend waiting for it to pop up on a streaming service rather than taking on the considerable expense of seeing it with the kids at the cinema.

Mufasa runs 188 minutes, is rated PG and is in cinemas now. Trailer here.

THE OUTRUN - film

The Outrun, based on a memoir by journalist Amy Liptrot, stars Saoirse Ronan as Rona, a young woman battling an alcohol addiction. Hoooo boy, this film is excellent.

It was moving and it really gave me incredible insight into just how complex and difficult it must be to overcome alcohol addiction. I appreciate you may think, derrr, of course that would be hard, but this paints such a clear and compelling picture of why and how it’s hard that it really opened my eyes enormously. Ronan is excellent and I think she can reasonably be disappointed to not be among the nominees for Best Actress at the Golden Globes.

Don’t get yourself along to this for a light toe-tapping good time but if you’re up for an interesting story, performed beautifully, through which you’ll likely learn a lot, then The Outrun is for you. The release strategy for the film in Australia seems a bit strange to be honest, so you may find it hard to catch. It was on as part of the British Film Festival in November but does not seem to have a subsequent wider release as usually happens with Film Festival highlights so it may be that catching it on an online streamer will be your realistic best bet.

The Outrun runs 117 minutes and is rated M. Trailer here.

A REAL PAIN - film

A Real Pain is about two Jewish cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) who reunite to tour Poland to honour their grandmother who has died.

David is reserved and uptight and Benji is the opposite which makes them a tricky pair of travel companions and that underpins the film. Benji is battling some demons and Culkin plays it just beautifully. Eisenberg is also good but with his character the infinitely less fun of the two, he has a little less to work with. (Eisenberg is also the director of the film.) For much of the trip they travel in a tour group with others and one of the actors is Jennifer Grey who Dirty Dancing fans will know as ‘Baby’ Houseman - a blast from the past!

A Real Pain isn’t always an easy watch and the pain of the characters - Benji especially - is quite affecting but I really enjoyed this film and would definitely recommend it. It’s part drama, part comedy and the balance is well-struck. Wisely, it runs just 90 minutes showing a discipline I really respect and that seems rare in film-making these days!

A Real Pain opens on 26 December and is rated MA15+. Trailer here.

WICKED - film

I really, really enjoyed this! If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know the story of Wicked, it’s the prequel ‘origin myth’ for the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 classic hit motion picture The Wizard of Oz.

Before we go any further, for the avoidance of doubt… Wicked is a musical. Musicals ain’t for everyone so know thy self, okay?!

If you dig a musical though, you’re really going to enjoy this one starring Cynthia Erivo as Elpheba the green witch and Ariana Grande as Galinda the good witch of the north. Because I’m middle-aged and very uncool, I knew nothing at all about Erivo and very little about Grande before the powerhouse publicity tour for this film started filling my social media feeds a month or two ago. They are both brilliant actors and singers in this … der! Grande surprised me a little with how good her comedic chops are. I’d love to see her do more comedy roles.

Just as good with the comedic flair is Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero. Good grief that man is as handsome as hell … sorry, has a marketable face … sorry, is extremely talented and blessed with dazzling hair and cheekbones. OK I’ll stop now. (Writing this drivel, not daydreaming about that handsome face.)

I took my 20-something niece to the preview and we pondered what ages it’s suitable for. She was a kid more recently than me (surprise!) and she works with kids a lot so I trust her judgement. We both reckon it’s comfortably for 10 and up. For those younger than that, they might be ok but there’s a scary bit that I suspect would freak them out and also, at 2 hours and 41 minutes running time, it’s a big ask for littlies.

Wicked is really great, in cinemas Thursday 21 November and is rated PG. Go, go, go!

LEE - film

Lee is a biographic drama about WWII photojournalist Lee Miller starring Kate Winslet in the lead role.

Remarkably, she is chronicling the war for Vogue magazine. Although as becomes relevant to the story, the fashion magazine isn’t as committed to news coverage of the war as Lee hopes. She’s tenacious though and fights hard to share what she’s seen and captured, much of it horrific.

Winslet is brilliant as Lee and she’s a producer on the film as well. Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, Andy Samburg and Alexander Skarsgård round out the great cast.

This is good old-fashioned film making if you ask me. Someone found an interesting story worth putting on the big screen and they’ve gone and done it. Is it perfect? Nup. Is it good and worth seeing? Yup.

Lee is rated M, runs for 117 minutes and is in cinemas now. Trailer here.

IT ENDS WITH US - film

(This blog contains a plot spoiler)

I hate it when blogs are hard to write because it’s not clearly a ‘yes this is great you should see it’ or ‘this is terrible and you definitely should not see it’. WOE IS ME!

And so it is with ‘It ends with us’, an adaptation of a New York Times bestselling romance novel by Colleen Hoover with Blake Lively in the lead role of Lily Bloom. (Her middle name is Blossom and she’s a florist, to give you a sense of where this is going.)

I saw this film a few days ago and even with all that time to digest it, the honest truth is that I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. Did I love it? Absolutely not. Did I hate it? I hated many parts of it but I did not hate the overall experience of watching it.

I think one of the reasons I’m so vexed about it is that it feels wildly inappropriate to ‘cut to the chase’ about a film whose theme is domestic violence. Spoiler alert. I’m usually really anti putting spoilers in my blogs but it’s so central to the film it’s impossible to ignore. And I guess there’s the rub - this is marketed as a romance film but then the family violence emerges and suddenly it feels kinda gross to be jovial about it. And to say this is a Hollywood glossy version of domestic violence portrayal would be an understatement. The perpetrator really does not come off looking that bad and I’m not cool with that. Broadly it seems to me that this is a deeply unrealistic portrayal of family violence, even acknowledging that everyone’s experience is different.

I won’t go into the plotline - I didn’t know anything when I saw it and I think that definitely helped keep me engaged - but suffice to say if something related to family violence would be upsetting to you, you should give this a wide berth. Aside from any other way it could make you feel, I reckon it’ll make you mad how family violence is portrayed. There’s also just a whole bunch of things about the storyline that are dumb and unrealistic and have complete soap opera vibes.

So apologies this blog lacks eloquence and clarity but in summary, I guess I wouldn’t recommend seeing this film. Maybe catch it on a streamer when it pops up there. I mean, if only for Blake Lively’s spectacular hair which deserved it’s own notation in the credits.

‘It ends with us’ is in cinemas now, rated M and runs 130 minutes.

POST SCRIPT ADDED THREE HOURS AFTER PUBLISHING - I’m delighted someone in my professional network shared this ABC article on LinkedIn about the problematic way this film romanticizes violent relationships. It articulates the notions I grappled with 1000 times better than I have and I highly recommend you read it particularly if you are considering seeing the film.

THE BIKERIDERS - film

I’m sorry to say that I found The Bikeriders - a story of the rise and fall of a motorbike club in America’s north west in the 1960s and ‘70s starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy - really quite boring.

The one hour mark was when I started to get restless and think, good lord is this actually going anywhere?! And I don’t think I was alone because a steady stream of people at the full house screening I was at started to go out and in (presumably to the loo) of the cinema from that point too.

There wasn’t a significant enough crescendo in the story for me - it felt like it would go somewhere interesting and never really did. Jodie Comer’s excellent performance is the best thing it has going for it.

It’d be about 2 stars for me though my friend liked it a little better and said it'd be 3 from her. In fairness to the film, the critics seem to like it a little more than us - eg 4 stars from The Guardian and 4 stars from The Standard.

If it’s hard for you to get to the movies so you don’t do it often, give this one a miss I reckon.

The Bikeriders opens Thursday 4 July, is rated M and runs 116 minutes.

INSIDE OUT 2

This is so fun! Is it perfect? Nup? Is it worth seeing anyway? Yep!

Inside Out 2 is a sequel following the first Pixar Inside Out which came out about 10 years ago. You don’t need to have seen the first one though I dare say there’s a bit of extra joy in the sequel if you have.

Riley - our main protagonist - is on the verge of puberty and her feelings and emotions are now even more complicated. Joy (voiced by Amy Pohler), Anger, Sadness, Fear and Disgust are now joined by Anxiety, Envy, Fear, Embarrassment and Ennui. (Ennui being boredom in French, and she brings the lols to this one.)

Riley’s off to hockey camp and has a fairly typical friend drama for a girl that age. Lured by cool kids, will she abandon her old loyal friends and how will all the emotions handle it?!

It’s ideal for kids aged, say, 11-13, but there’s something in it for everyone I reckon. I went with a 17 and 20 year old and they both liked it, the 20 year old a little more than then 17 year old. Maybe distance from puberty and school girl dramas makes it easier to enjoy. (#armchairpsychology)

INSIDE OUT 2 runs for 1 hour 36 minutes and is rated PG. Trailer here.

ANATOMY OF A FALL - film

The Wikipedia entry for Anatomy of a Fall describes it as a “French legal drama thriller” and I’m struck by how that somehow sounds so dull when the film isn’t but the description is accurate. It’s receiving rave reviews and won the top prize at the Canne Film Festival. (I know it hurts but I promise it’s pronounced more like “can” than it is like “carn”, Aussies!)

It didn’t quite live up to the reviews for me. It was great and I’m glad I saw it and I’d happily recommend it but IT WAS TOO LONG! Regular readers will know I say that quite a bit but honestly, at 2.5 hours this film is great but at 2 hours it could have been brilliant. Call me Eddie the Expert but it just seems like undisciplined film making to me.

The main character is Sandra, a German woman living in the French alps with her French husband and son who has low vision. Sandra’s husband dies early in the film and she is suspected of his murder and faces trial, defended by an old lawyer friend. The trial reveals the complexity of their relationship including infidelities and accusations of plagiarism; Sandra and her husband are both writers. It also reveals the complexity of having low vision… did you really see that or did you think… or perhaps hope, you saw that?!

Anatomy of a Fall is great. It’s interesting that almost always the French version of language is more beautiful than the English, with the exception of the name of this film which is French is ‘Anatomie d’une Chute’. Just makes me chuckle.

This film is in cinemas now, runs for 2.5 hours (as discussed sigh) and is rated MA15+. If you see it, let me know what you reckon. Trailer here.

THE COLOR PURPLE - film

This movie is toooooo loooooooong. Seriously! Stop it, film makers! Long does not equal good!

I haven’t read the novel on which this film is based and nor have I seen the 1985 version of the film starring Oprah Winfrey, who’s an executive producer on this remake. All of which is to say, these are fresh eyes and I am offering my view of this film and this film alone.

It’s a musical, y’all! Did you know that?! As a musical lover I’ve gotta tell you, they’ve nailed the song and dance numbers in this! Do they feel a bit at odds with an at times fairly serious films, navigating topics like slavery and family violence? Why yes, yes they do. It’s like there’s two things happening in this movie that are both good but don’t belong together. A serious take on the experience of black people in American in the 1900s? Sure, sounds interesting. A musical filled with absolute bangers accompanied by dancing that’ll leave you toe-tapping and soaring ballads that’ll move you? Sure, sounds great! But jam them together in one film and something doesn’t quite gel.

I didn’t hate this (other than the length) but I also didn’t love it. The Guardian gave it three stars and I agree with that I think. It’s mid-range territory. Give the review a read if you’d like to know more about the film.

The Color Purple is rated M, runs for 141 minutes (YUCK) and opens on Thursday 25 January 2024. Trailer here.

ALL OF US STRANGERS - film

HOOOO BOY. This film is brilliant.

I’ve thought a lot about whether to try to explain the plot at all in this blog and have decided that I won’t other than to say it’s a story of grief, childhood trauma, navigating coming out as gay, imagination but most of all grief. There’s a lot of grief. Take tissues. Did I mention the grief?!

It stars Andrew Scott (AKA ‘Hot Priest’ IYKYK) and Paul Mescal and they’re both brilliant. Why aren’t they winning all the awards either?! Scott especially. His performance will move you to your flippin’ core. Did I mention you should take tissues?!

About three quarters of the way through the film I started thinking to myself, this film is so good; I can’t believe how good it is; why isn’t this film winning best picture at all the awards etc. I stand by that now.

Now. Let’s talk caveats. It’s a bit confusing BUT on that I would say, even if you don’t follow the twists, the story you think you’re watching is super compelling, so does it matter? The fact that one of the drop downs when you google “All of us strangers” is “explained” says something. Not everything is as it seems in All Of Us Strangers and in my reading online after seeing the film, I can see that some people get that as they’re watching the film and others don’t. But I reckon it doesn’t matter. But don’t let that put you off! Watch the film then read one of the explainers. Easy!

Another caveat (it’ll seem like a spoiler at first but lemme finish!) … well, trigger warning, I guess, is that if you have sensitivity for any reason around the death of a parent or both parents, I imagine this will be just too much for you. Don’t do it to yourself. Especially if the death(s) occurred when you were a child. Now I know that seems like a spoiler and of course it kind of is but the death of the parents thing is known early in the story and the whole thing is really based on that fact.

This film is up there with the best I’ve seen. Don’t miss it!

All Of Us Strangers is rated MA15+, runs 105 minutes and is in cinemas now.

PRISCILLA

Based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir, this is a biopic about a women best known for marrying superstar Elvis Presley.

I found it pretty dull, to be honest. I didn’t know anything at all about her going into this and really very little about Elvis as it turns out! I kept thinking, is this going somewhere?! Some would argue this is an unsophisticated take that lacks nuance … well derr Fred, you’re on a blog called ‘cut to the chase’!

The actors who play Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) and Elvis (Jacob Elordi - an Aussie) are very talented. However on Elordi as Elvis, we’re gonna need some subtitles guys! I know the muttery delivery is true of the man himself but if there’s times where you can’t understand what he’s saying that seems kinda problematic to me!

People whose opinion I rate loved it. Case in point, ABC music commentator (and more) Zan Rowe who absolutely raved about it on her Instagram. She’s on board with *some* of the proper critics - for example, this chap in The Guardian.

However I’ve also seen reviews that are more in line with me, two star kind of affairs. (The one I read which I most agreed with in the Washington Post is behind a paywall so I won’t bother sharing the link.)

Priscilla is rated M, runs 113 minutes and is in cinemas now.

NEXT GOAL WINS - film

Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi, is based on the true story of the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in soccer World Cup history in 2001, losing to Australia 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup approaching, the team recruits coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) to help turn their fate around. There’s a reason Rongen is available for this gig that’s … unusual… for a professional coach. He’s got some demons in his past.

A transgender player in the team helps give the film some heart and complexity. This aspect of it is done well, I think.

This film is very, very funny. It’s not perfect but if you want a good laugh, it’s perfect. And it’s a PROVEN FACT that gags delivered with a New Zealand accent are 10% funnier so there’s a good bonus for you.

Next Goal Wins is rated PG, runs 104 minutes and is in cinemas now.